Economic development and workforce development go hand-in-hand. The Lehigh Valley, a leader in cross-organizational collaboration, hosted the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association's annual conference. 
The Workforce Leaders Symposium, held at Wind Creek Bethlehem on Sept. 17 and 18, provided a platform for leaders in economic development, workforce development, education, and training to engage in discussions regarding policy, peers, and practice.
Attendees learned and exchanged ideas about in-the-moment trends, hot topics, and insights that impact workforce development. They had the opportunity to shape their strategies, program designs, and capacity-building needs to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Carrie Amann, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association, challenged those in attendance to work collectively to ensure the state’s workforce system “is not only responsive to the needs of the economy, but it's also adaptable to the emerging trends of tomorrow. It is your collective leadership that will be key to this effort.”
The Lehigh Valley has been innovative at experimenting with workforce development ideas and each region of the state must come up with a formula that works for them, said Nancy Dischinat, Executive Director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley.
“Collectively, we make Pennsylvania's workforce system better and stronger, but individually, workforce area by workforce area, we need to find the right, correct mix of education, training, and workforce services needed in our own communities,” she said.
The program included a “Lehigh Valley, Aligned!” session showcasing Lehigh Valley's successful alignment of economic development, workforce development, education, community planning, and business.
Speakers included Don Cunningham, President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC); Becky Bradley, Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission; Dr. Carol D. Birks, Superintendent of the Allentown School District; Tony Ianelli, President and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce; Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure; and Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong.
“It's about alignment. It's about working together,” Iannelli said.
Cunningham, a member of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board, said talent recruitment and development is the top issue in economic development today.
“That's the number one question for companies to either stay in your market and grow, or for new companies to come in,” he said.
LVEDC has worked with its many partners, including employers, labor organizations, Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, schools, and colleges and universities to create talent development, attraction, and retention strategies that have been recognized nationally for the innovativeness.
Those strategies include the award-winning Hot Careers Dashboard that allows students and job seekers to explore careers, and the Education and Talent Supply Council, made up of educators, employers, and other community organizations who collectively create strategies to position the Lehigh Valley to attract, develop, and retain its workforce.
Bradley said the Planning Commission is working to make sure the regional workforce – there are 1.7 million workers within an hour’s drive – have enough housing, and adequate roads and public transportation to get to work.
Birks outlined how the Allentown School District is working to ensure students have skills that are in demand in the workplace, including through internships and partnerships with community organizations.
A $250,000 Industry Partnership grant to Workforce Board Lehigh Valley will prepare students in the district for jobs in the manufacturing and supply chain industries, Birks said. And the district’s students are learning important skills at the STEAM Career Pathways Program at the recently opened Da Vinci Science Center. The center is an asset for workforce development, partnering with Lehigh Valley businesses to showcase careers that involve STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) skills.
The Workforce Leaders Symposium was attended by workforce leaders, management, and next-generation professionals including but not limited to local workforce development, education and training providers, career development, education (P-12) and post-secondary institutions, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, and industry trade associations.
(Photos courtesy of Moravian University)